Lawford is best known for his many roles as leading man in MGM films of the 1940s and 1950s ( The White Cliffs of Dover, 1944; The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1945; Royal Wedding, 1951). He also appeared in a few films with Frank Sinatra's “Rat Pack” and starred in TV series such as The Thin Man (1957–59). Lawford was married to Patricia Kennedy, sister to President John F. Kennedy.